Biting into a slice of juicy melon is a great way to start a summer day, but when you’re ready to be a little more adventurous, there are countless ways to prepare cantaloupe. A handful of local chefs and restaurants were asked by the Rocky Ford Growers Association[1] to tap their creativity and share samples on a recent lunch hour with passersby on Denver’s 16th Street Mall as well as some judges.

The ringer at the judge’s table was Michael Long, a chef, restaurateur and host of The Main Course on KEZW[2] 1430 on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Avid home cooks Kristen Kidd and I joined in. We sampled shrimp poboys with cantaloupe relish from J.P. Rouse of Aloft Hotel in Broomfield, cantaloupe “carpaccio” from Gregory Sever of the University of Denver, and an artful assemblage of melon, cheese and greens from Garren Teich and Jonas Halstead of Restaurant 1515.

It was a hard contest to judge, but the best recipes, from Chris Meier, executive chef at Willie G’s Seafood & Steaks at 15th & Lawrence, were for a pork tenderloin with cantaloupe “molasses” and “kimchee” and a sea scallop with cantaloupe relish and “caviar.” (We swear Meiers’ win had nothing to do with the delicious Cantaloupe Fizz Culinary Cocktail that accompanied his dishes).

Combine the olive oil, garlic, cider vinegar and soy sauce in a small mixing bowl and pour over the pork tenderloin in a glass baking dish covered with plastic wrap or in a plastic container with a lid. Allow to marinated for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a skillet over high heat. Carefully pull the pork tenderloin out of the marinade and place in the hot skillet. Sear one side of the tenderloin until it is nicely browned and starting to get crispy. Turn the tenderloin and sear another side until it too is nicely browned. Repeat until all sides are well-seared. Remove the tenderloin from the skillet and place in a clean baking or roasting pan. Baste the tenderloin liberally with the cantaloupe molasses then place in the oven to roast for 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Remove the pork from the oven and place it on a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. After 10 minutes, slice the tenderloin into 1/4-inch slices. Place a dollop of the cantaloupe kimchee on 4 dinner plates and top with sliced pork tenderloin. Drizzle the “molasses” on the plate.

Cantaloupe “Molasses”

Ingredients

1 Rocky Ford cantaloupe

Directions

Trim off both ends of the cantaloupe and trim the rind from the entire cantaloupe. Scrape out and discard the seeds. Cut the cantaloupe into 1/2-inch wedges and then cut into 1/2-inch diced cubes.

Place the chopped cantaloupe in a blender and puree until smooth. Don’t overcrowd the blender; simply puree in batches if needed. Pour the juice into a medium-sized sauce pan and place on a burner over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally as the juice will boil over if not watched. As the juice simmers, use a spoon to scrape off foam and solids that float to the top. Continue to simmer until the volume of the juice is half of what it was when it was pureed. The juice will have thickened to a rich and sweet puree-like consistency. Set aside, under refrigeration, until ready to plate.

Place the cantaloupe in a plastic container with a lid. In a mixing bowl, combine the Sriracha hot sauce with the ginger, rice vinegar, garlic and sliced green onions. Whisk together and pour over the cantaloupe. Allow the cantaloupe to marinate for at least an hour, but the flavor is best after 2-3 days.

Heat a skillet or saute pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Season the scallops with salt and pepper, making sure they are patted dry first. Pour 1 ounce of olive oil into the hot pan. Carefully set each scallop into the hot oil. Once the scallops are seared with a nice golden crust, flip them. Turn off the heat and let the scallops continue to sear with whatever residual heat remains.
Divide and pile the cantaloupe relish among four dinner plates. Top each pile with 1 tablespoon of ham. Set a scallop next to the relish and ham. Top each scallop with a teaspoon of cantaloupe “caviar.”

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow the relish to sit and marinated for at least two hours before serving.

Cantaloupe “Caviar”

Ingredients

Half of one cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
Agar agar (seaweed gelatin, available online or in Asian supermarkets)
Vegetable oil

Directions

Fill a tall drinking glass or pilsner glass 3/4 full with vegetable oil. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

Place the chopped cantaloupe in a blender and puree until smooth. Don’t overcrowd the blender, simply puree the cantaloupe in batches if needed. Pour the juice into a medium-sized sauce pan and place on a burner over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally as the juice will boil over if not watched. As the juice simmers, use a spoon to scrape off foam and solids that float to the top. Once you have achieved only cantaloupe juice in the pan, pour the juice into a clear glass or plastic liquid measuring glass to determine the total volume of juice you have. Pour the juice into a clean small sauce pot over medium heat. Sprinke in the agar agar using 1 teaspoon of agar agar for every 12 fluid ounces (1 1/2 cups) of juice. Continue to simmer for two minutes.

Set the juice base aside to cool for 10 minutes. Pour the juice base into a plastic kitchen squeeze bottle with a clean 1/8″-wide tip. (Alternately, a basting syringe may be used.) Slowly drip single droplets of the cantaloupe-agar juice into the ice cold vegetable oil. They will immediately drop down to the bottom of the glass in caviar-shaped pearls. Continue dropping the juice until you have enough faux caviar for your presentation. Place the glass of oil and cantaloupe caviar in the refrigerator to set for at least 30 minutes. Remove the glass from the refrigerator then strain out the caviar from the oil by pouring everything through a fine-mesh strainer. Keep the caviar in a plastic container with a lid for up to 2-3 days.

In a rocks glass, muddle the cantaloupe until it has achieved a rough puree-like consistency. Add the simple syrup, citrus vodka and enough ice to fill 3/4 of the glass. Stir well. Top off the cocktail with a healthy spritz of the coconut seltzer. Garnish the drink with a fresh mint sprig and a wedge of cantaloupe.

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Allow the syrup to boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the vanilla and mint continue to steep like tea until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Strain and discard the mint and vanilla bean. Store in a covered jar or plastic container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Using an iSi whip whipped-cream canister, pour in the coconut milk, water and sugar. Place the cap on top of the canister and shake to combine the contents. If you are using a 500-millileter canister, charge it with one carbon dioxide capsule and shake well. If you are using a 1-liter canister, charge it with two carbon dioxide capsules and shake well. Refrigerate until ready to use, preferably 2-3 hours minimum so the CO2 dissipates evenly throughout the liquid. You can save this seltzer and use it within the next 4-5 days.(Note: whipped cream/seltzer canisters as well as CO2 chargers are available at Sur La Table stores.)
*If you don’t have an iSi whop canister, you can substitute seltzer or soda water in place of the water in the recipe. It won’t be as carbonated as the above method but it’s a quick substitute.